West Ham will lose 4 players in up to 5 AFCON matches and 3 of them are key stars
West Ham will likely lose 4 players in up to 5 AFCON games and 3 of them are key stars.
West Ham have a strong African influence in their squad and that was enhanced by the signing of brilliant Ghanaian star Mohammed Kudus last month.
Kudus is one of four new arrivals in the summer transfer window and can be watched at the London Stadium by free agent Jesse Lingard.
The Hammers may also need him, especially during the winter.
The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has been postponed from June last year to January 2024, six months later than expected.
Côte d’Ivoire remains the host country, but concerns about the weather in West Africa in mid-June led to the change.
And that could have a big impact on the West Ham team in the five to six weeks between January and February.
Because West Ham will lose 4 players in up to 5 AFCON games and 3 of them are absolutely key stars.
Obviously, it all depends on the injury and choice.
West Ham will lose 4 players in a maximum of 5 AFCON games and 3 of them are absolutely key stars
But clubs are generally required to release players from AFCON at least a week before the tournament begins on January 13.
And the tournament has to wait until 5 weeks to end, ie February 11.
Most of the players involved are also given a few days off after joining before returning to club duty – although that is agreed between West Ham boss David Moyes and his players.
This means West Ham will likely be without three key stars, Kudus, Said Benrahma and Nayef Aguerd as well as Maxwel Cornet for games against Sheffield United, Bournemouth, Manchester United, Arsenal and possibly Nottingham Forest, depending on their distance and speed.
multiple – if any, leave will be granted next.
Ivory Coast has already qualified, which means Cornet will participate.
Algeria has qualified, meaning that Benrahma will be absent.
The same goes for Morocco, where defender Aguerd is a key player.
And Ghana tops the table and is the favorite candidate to win the final match against Central African Republic on Thursday night.
That means £38m rookie Kudus is also leaving.
So it looks like signing Lingard is becoming increasingly easy for West Ham – even if it’s just a cover-up during the busy winter period amid a likely absence from AFCON.
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